Pet entertainment device and system
A pet entertainment device includes a base having means for securing the base to a support. A platform is attached to the base. A retractable device is attached to the platform and includes a resiliently mounted tether forcibly extendable and automatically retractable relative to the platform. A pet toy is attached to a terminal end of the tether adjacent to the platform. In this manner, the toy can be forcibly extended away from and automatically retracted toward the platform.
This is a utility application related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/339,068 filed Feb. 26, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure herein relates generally to pets and more particularly to a pet entertainment apparatus and system.
Over time, man has developed symbiotic relationships with animals, particularly dogs, for both survivorship and companionship. Whether companionship or survival was the goal of the relationship, man has used various means to train animals to understand basic commands, both verbal and non-verbal. In order for this training to be effective, man acquired certain basic understandings of animal behaviors so that the training could be tailored to achieve the desired outcome. This is especially true when training dogs.
One such animal behavior, is commonly referred to as “Chase and Engage” behavior, or more commonly, the “Fetch and Retrieve Response”. There are a number of reasons why an understanding of this behavior is important. One reason is to establish behavior which can be a building block for cooperation. One good way to teach a pet, such as a dog, cooperation, is through the use of toys, by creating interest in an object by the dog, causing the dog to run after it, retrieve it, and then relinquish it. In animal training parlance, this is sometimes referred to as the “Give, Take and Recall” chain of behavior. A second reason is to provide a natural outlet for pets, such as dogs, who commonly love to chase things, as most animals will do in the wild, as a result of their natural hunting instinct. In this way, man has been able to redirect predatory behavior through interactive play with their pets. A third, less obvious reason, is simply interactive play, which can be utilized for conditioning, exercise, or to burn off excess energy, through games such as “tug of war”.
Unfortunately, activities and traditional animal toys associated with interactive “Fetch and Retrieve” training, utilizing such items as stuffed animals, balls, sticks, rope, pull-toys, or chew toys, all require constant human interaction. Otherwise, the pet will quickly lose interest in the object, becoming bored with the object after a short time, and wander off in search of other, more stimulating activities.
Having recognized this behavior, disclosed herein is a device that provides a mechanical, interactive resistance device and system which causes an attached toy to retract, or provide a counter-resistance in response to playful tugging by the pet, thus further stimulating the pet's natural instinct to pull on the toy in a “tug-of-war” fashion, or alternatively, to chase the toy as a fleeing object, when pulled, then released. In this way, the pet can be entertained without constant human interaction. Surprisingly, it has been discovered that the disclosed device is particularly useful with young dogs, in that it has the added benefit of effectively tiring puppies to the point of exhaustion, resulting in longer sleep patterns that are better suited to a domesticated lifestyle.
SUMMARYOne embodiment, accordingly, includes a pet toy apparatus and system having a base including means for securing the base to a support. A platform is attached to the base. A retractable device is attached to the platform and includes a resiliently mounted tether forcibly extendable and automatically retractable relative to the platform. A pet toy is attached to a terminal end of the tether adjacent to the platform. In this manner, the toy can be forcibly extended away from and automatically retracted toward the platform.
For the purposes of the present disclosure, the terms and phrases as used herein are intended to have the following general, non-restrictive meanings:
Retractable cord device can mean a retracting or retractable device, which may include a housing, a recoil mechanism, a spool, a spring, and a cord, tether or line. The retracting device and its components, may include a housing which may be comprised of a substantially rigid material, for example, plastic, metal, ABS, or the like. The retractable cord mechanism may be a conventional recoil or retraction mechanism that includes a spool. The spool allows the cord to be wound about it at a first terminal end of the cord. The recoil mechanism with a spindle also allows the cord to be unwound when a second terminal end of the cord is pulled, by force, and then allows the line to be automatically rewound about it when the second end of the cord, having a pet toy attached thereto, is released.
It is also meant to be understood that a retractable cord mechanism may also mean one or more strands of an elastic material, such as a bungee cord, rubber bands, or similar materials, typically made from natural or synthetic materials such as rubber or latex, having excellent extensibility, resilience and tensile strength and including the ability to provide a broad range of tension forces by using variable sizes, materials, etc.
Suction device can mean any device providing a base and commonly using suction for attachment of various articles to a support surface without marring the support surface. The actual suction may be created mechanically with a diaphragm and lever action or with a vacuum generating device.
Ground stake can mean any form of stake or long nail commonly providing a base and associated with those used in the construction of temporary tent-like housing, to fix restraining ropes attached to tent and ridge poles, into the ground.
Ground screw can mean any cylindrical screw-thread device for providing a base and removably anchoring objects to the ground. The screw thread may include a taper in the diameter and depth, from the proximal portion to the distal tip. The screw thread may also be in the form of an extended coil, similar to a cork screw.
Referring to
The underside 20b of platform 20, in
It is also the intent of this disclosure to allow for a retractable cord mechanism that provides for a variable resistive tension. Specifically, a variable resistive tensioning mechanism is defined as a mechanism that would provide increasing tension, from the perspective of the pet, when the toy is pulled further away from the base. As an example, the mechanism could provide a gradually increasing resistance between zero and three pounds of resistance when the toy, attached to the cord mechanism, is pulled up to six inches away from the platform. However, the resistive force could be provided to gradually increase up to 15 pounds when the toy is further pulled up to 12 inches away from the base. This perceived force would continue to increase, out to the full extension of the cord. This resistive load could theoretically be provided to increase to almost any reasonable value, suitable for the pet intended. This increasing resistive load need not be mathematically linear in its progression.
It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a retractable cord device may also simply mean one or more strands of an elastic material (not shown), such as a bungee cord, rubber bands, or similar materials, typically made from natural or synthetic materials such as for example, rubber or latex, having excellent extensibility, resilience and tensile strength. A retractable cord such as this would serve the same function as a mechanical assembly such as that described in
In
In
It should also be appreciated by one skilled in the art that although the retractable cord mechanism 500 and mounting point 530 are illustrated on a surface 704, it is understood that surface 705 could be used for the same purpose. Alternatively, if one was not concerned with providing maximum protection to the retractable cord device 500 and mounting point 530, surfaces 708 and 709 could be alternative mounting surfaces. Also, a plurality of openings such as 703a can be provided in the platform 700.
An important advantage of the present disclosure is the ability to provide a restrained but captive pet toy, with a counter-resistive pulling force that is exerted on the toy in response to a dog pulling on the toy, simulating a tug-of-war, in the absence of direct human involvement. During testing of a prototype device, a young over-active Maltese puppy was utilized as a test subject. The puppy was known to be hyperactive, and required constant human attention to avert undesirable behaviors. When the pedestal mounted version of the device, with a hand-pumped vacuum mounted base, having a rotatable platform on a central spindle, was secured to a smooth, polished concrete floor, the puppy became suitably engaged in a tug-of-war with one of its favorite toys. The puppy was fully engaged by the counter-resistive pulling force that was exerted on the toy in response to a dog pulling on the toy. The puppy was able to constantly move around the device in an unrestricted 360° circular pattern, while engaging the device in a playful tug-of-war. When the puppy let go of the toy, the retractable cord device immediately pulled the toy back to the platform, causing the puppy to chase and reacquire the toy. The retractable cord device provided up to 10 lbs of resistance and the hand-pumped vacuum mounted based of the device provided a minimum of 40 lbs of resistive lift capacity, which was more than ample to restrict the young puppy from dislodging it from the floor after the vacuum was engaged.
An unanticipated, and desirable result of this non-human engagement with the device, was that the puppy remained interested and fully engaged in the simulated tug-of-war until substantial exhaustion occurred. It was noted that following a rest period, the puppy would easily reengage with the toys mounted on the device and repeat the cycle. It was also noted that prior to the introduction of the device, the puppy would rarely be engaged long enough, or to such a degree that it would ever appear to be tired. In fact, the hyperactive puppy was well known for its frequent barking and incessant need for human attention prior to its introduction to the device. Subsequently, the puppy's attention span was limited and behavior training was difficult. Following introduction to the device, the puppy appeared to be better rested, more attentive and better able to comprehend the desired behavior training required for most domesticated pets.
Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change, and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A pet toy system comprising:
- a base including means for securing the base to a support;
- a platform attached to the base;
- a retractable device attached to the platform and having a resiliently mounted tether forcibly extendable and automatically retractable relative to the platform; and
- a pet toy attached to a terminal end of the tether adjacent the platform, whereby the toy can be forcibly extended away from and automatically retracted toward the platform.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the platform is rotatably connected to the base and the retractable device is rotatably mounted on the platform.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the base includes a suction attachment to the support.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the base includes a threaded member extending into the support.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the base is secured to a rigid surface by an attachment member.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the base is a U-shaped channel member.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the base is a rigid plate.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the platform is a C-shaped member rigidly attached to the support.
9. A pet toy apparatus comprising:
- a base including means for securing the base to a support;
- a platform attached to the base;
- a retractable device supported on the platform and including a tether having a terminal end adjacent a peripheral surface of the platform, the tether being resiliently forcibly extendable and automatically retractable relative to the peripheral surface; and
- a pet toy attached to the terminal end of the tether and positioned at rest adjacent the peripheral surface, whereby the toy is moveable to be forcibly extended away from the peripheral surface and, upon release, automatically retracted toward and re-positioned adjacent the peripheral surface.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the platform is rotatably connected to the base.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the base includes a suction attachment to the support.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the base includes a threaded member extending into the support.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the base is secured to a rigid surface by an attachment member.
14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the base is a U-shaped channel member.
15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the base is a rigid plate.
16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the platform is a C-shaped member rigidly attached to the support.
17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the retractable device is rotatably mounted on the platform.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 23, 2011
Publication Date: Sep 1, 2011
Inventors: Scott A. McElwain (Midland, TX), Denise L. McElwain (Midland, TX), Chace A. McElwain (Midland, TX)
Application Number: 12/932,327
International Classification: A01K 15/02 (20060101); A01K 29/00 (20060101);